Um Wait Over: Collins Is Qb

CORAL GABLES - — If Ryan Collins felt any anxiety over whether he would be named the University of Miami's starting quarterback this fall, he never showed it.

He was stoic through it all, even Monday when coach Butch Davis officially named him the starter for the season opener Sept. 2 at UCLA. Collins didn't whoop for joy. He did not look as if he had won anything when he met the media after a morning workout.

"Just doing my job," Collins said with a shrug. "Now, I'm looking forward to the game. I've been looking forward to the UCLA game since spring."

A cool, unshakable demeanor is one of the qualities that helped Collins win the job.

"I think the first ballgame, on the road, a fifth-year senior that's been in big ballgames before will possess enough poise to be a calming influence in the huddle," Davis said.

Davis likes the presence Collins brings to the offense.

"I think Ryan demonstrated an awful lot of lead-ership," Davis said. "He has a very unselfish attitude. He has charisma in the huddle. Right now, he's got the experience factor."

While Collins is not a strong-armed quarterback, he's a strong-willed one. His competitiveness is one of his best qualities. He is tough, and that's something the 'Canes didn't show in the fourth quarter of losses to Washington and Nebraska last year.

Collins left the anxiety this fall to his parents, Sam and Carrie, who waited all morning Monday for the telephone in their Pembroke Pines home to ring with news of who would start. They finally called their son at 1:30 in the afternoon.

"We couldn't wait any longer," Sam said. "We're very happy. It's difficult watching practice. You're there, but there's nothing you can do. You feel helpless. All you can do is pray."

Collins won out over sophomore Ryan Clement and second-year freshman Scott Covington. They are co-No. 2's.

"I told the team, and I told the quarterbacks, I truly believe all three of them could be the quarterback and we could win 12 games with all three of them," Davis said.

Davis, however, wants to rely on one quarterback.

"Ryan's the guy," Davis said. "It's not his job to lose. It's not a situation where he has to go out there and feel like he has to be perfect on every throw or every read. There's no rotating. We have a starting quarterback, and it's his job."

Collins was 5-2 as a starter during the 1993 season. He has completed 137 of 240 passes in his UM career for 1,829 yards with 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Clement has thrown just seven passes in games, Covington none.

Davis said Clement and Covington will share snaps as the backup. He said he hasn't decided yet who will be used if Collins is injured.

"Over the next four years, it will be a wide-open competition," Davis said.

Still, Clement believes he should be No. 2.

"I plan to be the second guy going into games," Clement said. "If that changes, I'm sure Coach will tell us."

Clement and Covington were among the nation's most-coveted QB recruits two years ago. They signed and enrolled together knowing only one can play at a time. Both pledged on Monday that they had no plans to transfer.